A woman's bag is a little slice of her life in which she stores all the things she needs at any given moment (plus her garbage remnants). On the outside, the purse signifies her style, tells you how much she's willing to lug around, and gives a clue as to where she's headed next.

Women and fashion trends have changed over the past 100 years, but what's stayed the same is that they've cared about the way they dress and the types of handbags they carry.

Mode put together a fun (and informative!) look at the way women's handbags have changed from 1916 to today, and you have to watch to see how incredible the evolution has been.

Here's what bags looked like in 1916, when everything was dainty and delicate and lacy, apparently.

Skipping ahead to 1966, in an example of what looks like vacation vibes. Sardinia in the '60s — take me there!

Now, in 2016, the bag — complete with fluffy pouf — is roomy enough for a pair of big headphones, a selfie stick, a cell phone (of course), and even some on-the-go snacks.

The Givenchy Antigona knockoff is one of the most popular handbag styles from this brand and whenever a bag rises to stardom more and more replicas show up. Also, if you need to choose between Givenchy Antigona Medium vs Small, let me try to help choose the best size for you.

After noticing that many of you ladies are interested in this Givenchy replica bag, I decided to make a “How To Spot A Fake Givenchy Antigona” guide with lots of pictures to get my point across. Here are the essential elements you should check for this bag if you want to protect yourself from fake Givenchy bags!

First of all, let’s start with the construction of this bag. The Givenchy Antigona is meant to be a structured tote, so this goes for as well. A good Givenchy bag replica should be able to stand on its own, so if the leather is too soft or slouchy and the bag loses its shape easily, then it’s a bad copy. This applies to the Givenchy Antigona medium smooth leather tote and the Givenchy Antigona Small Sugar Goatskin Satchel Bag as well, this is a structured tote no matter the leather type.

Then there’s another major giveaway that makes most Givenchy Antigona knockoffs easy to spot. It’s what I call the “logo triangle pad” – the leather patch that’s right in between the handles and that has the metal Givenchy logo on it. The pointy part of the triangle pad should be placed in the middle of the two handle tabs but let’s say this is not so obvious for an untrained eye. What is actually more important in my opinion is that the leather pad shouldn’t be neither too flat nor too “puffy”. I think these are the best words to describe it, I hope you girls can get what I mean. I have to say, I’ve seen some Givenchy knockoff bags with really flat triangle leather pads and they looked awful. Here are two examples that prove my point:

There’s another major flaw that many Givenchy knockoffs have and that is a really poor logo. You can easily notice that if you pay a bit of attention. For most Givenchy replica bags the metal letters in the logo are either misaligned, poorly cut, put too close together or they have different fonts or thickness. Just look at the photo below: notice how the “G” is much thinner than the “N” or the “C”?

Here is a clear photo with the original logo so that you study the font, the thickness of the metal letters and the space between them closely:

The handles of the Givenchy Antigona tote are tubular, pretty thin and stiff enough to stand on their own in a U-shape. If they are flimsy, then the leather/material used for that Givenchy fake bag is not the good type.

Look at the handle tabs/holders – first of all, check their shape and also the stitching. The first leather patch should be rounded at the bottom, tubular and not too wide and the second handle base has four corners at the bottom. The handles should have tone-on-tone, clean, sturdy stitching.

Now look at the two leather tabs on the bottom of the bag. First of all, they should both have the same size, obviously. They should neither be too wide not too thick. And again, look at the stitching and see if it’s uniform and clean. The stitching should be ON the base tabs, not around them. This is one of the most common flaws Givenchy fake bags have and an easy way to spot a fake Antigona bag.

Just like in the case of the handle holders and the base pads, the shoulder strap should also have just the right width. The thickness of the Antigona’s shoulder strap is great because it’s neither too slim not too thick (so the width should be medium-sized), so it feels really comfortable on the shoulder. The two metal buckles on the shoulder strap can’t be moved and they only serve decorative purposes.

It’s not true that the Givenchy Antigona inside should always feature black fabric lining no matter the color of the exterior like some people claim. For some colors Givenchy uses beige canvas lining, like the one you can see below. What is true though is that the color of the lining should not match the color of the exterior of the bag unless it’s the black Antigona! If we were to make a Givenchy Antigona vsPrada Saffiano, I think the Givenchy Antigona inside would lose because it’s not very luxurious. But anyway, if your Antigona has a different type of material in the interior, then it’s probably a replica Givenchy bag.

Now let’s focus on the interior leather tag with the words “GIVENCHY MADE IN ITALY” heat-stamped on it that should be placed right under the zippered pocket. The stamp should be centered and clear and the leather flap should have clean edges. Just like in the case of the metal letters, the stamp logo should also be aligned and the letters should not be so deeply embossed into the leather that they become almost impossible to read. The same font used for the metal logo should be used for the interior logo.

There are a lot of fake Gucci bags online given the fact that they are so sought-after nowadays. So either if you’re looking for the real deal or good Gucci replica bags, I think these Gucci authenticity tips will help you out.

Gucci Authenticity – Common Features

First of all, let’s start with the inside tag. All Gucci bags except the vintage ones feature a leather inside tag with the “Gucci Made in Italy” stamp on it and a registered trademarked circled “R”. So getting to know the font, deepness, spacing, positioning of the logo and that of the circled R really well will prove to be extremely useful for many Gucci styles. First of all, you need to make sure the font is correct and that the letters don’t touch each other. And here’s an interesting Gucci authenticity tip: the left side of the “U” in Gucci should be thicker than the right. But you should also check the letters “G” and the two Cs carefully.

Gucci Stamp Zoom

Another interesting thing about this leather tab/label is that the seams across it match the color of the lining, not the color of the leather! But on any other leather trim on the bag the stitching should match the color of the leather.

Authentic Gucci Padlock Blooms Shoulder Bag Tag Stitching

Authentic Gucci Padlock Signature Bag Inside Tag Stitching Color

The serial number should be on the back of this leather tabs and feature two rows of 6 numbers that are embossed close together. Make sure both rows are centered. Again, this rule does not apply to vintage Gucci bags!

Gucci Serial Number Font and Format

Gucci replica bags have really blossomed this year, with all the new beautiful designs that have been released. The already iconic Dionysus bag, the Sylvie bag, the GG Marmont bag or the Gucci Padlock bag and all their numerous variations are some of the most coveted replica bags of the moment.

As I’ve told you before, if you’re trying to learn more about Gucci authenticity, the first site you should start your research with is the official Gucci site. They are quite generous with the pictures they show of each bag, which is really useful if you want to study the details of a certain Gucci bag.

If you are interested in Monogram Gucci bags, then the first thing you need to check is the Monogram GG canvas, of course. And here are some Gucci authenticity tips for you: even though the two Gs face each other and are really close, they should not be touching. Then you can notice that the horizontal line of each G forms a shape that looks like a triangle (reversed for the left G).

Gucci Authenticity Tip: Monogram Canvas Unique Detail

The same rules apply to the Gucci Guccissima leather as well. But please take into account that even though some guides say that the Monograms should line up even where the sides are stitched together, this is not true (just like in the case of the Monogram LV bags). What is true though is that the GGs will be the same throughout the handbag, which means the letters will have the same size, shape and font.

Here’s the bottom of the Gucci GG Supreme duffle bag. Notice how the monograms don’t line up around the stitching? Just so you know, I took the photo from the official Gucci site:

Authentic Gucci GG Supreme Duffle – Monogram Are Not Symmetric

I know there are a lot of articles on how to check Gucci authenticity online and that can be confusing. Please keep in mind that many of these guides were written years ago, so some of the information there might not apply to new Gucci styles. Let’s take the fake Gucci duffle bag for example because I know this is still one of the most popular styles from the brand.

Finding cheap Gucci luggage used to be easier before for a reason. The Gucci Duffle bag made of canvas had textile lining and therefore the costs were not very high either. But things are different with the new Gucci duffle bags. The interior is made from “microfiber lining with a suede-like finish” which is harder to copy and also more expensive. So if you’re looking for cheap Gucci luggage, maybe you should stick to the older pieces.

New Gucci GG Caleido Duffle Luxurious Lining

You should, of course, check to see if the stitching is smooth and even. If you find uneven or sloppy stitching, the bag is probably a fake. Another general Gucci authenticity tip is to check the hardware engravings: clasps, zippers, bottom stud, hooks or any other engraved piece of hardware. The engraving should be clean, clear and the weight of the hardware is also important because authentic Gucci hardware is made of solid metal, so it should be on the heavy side. Needless to say that authentic Gucci hardware doesn’t rust or chip off.

Gucci Hardware Engraving

I’m sorry I wasn’t able to offer more tips on Gucci authenticity for vintage bags. But I don’t feel like I have enough information, so I think it’s the right thing to do.

I know this post on real vs fake Coach is a bit surprising for those of you who know I’m not the biggest fan of knockoff Coach handbags out there. But that doesn’t matter as long as some of you girls are interested in this brand. Still, I have to admit that the new Coach 2016 bags are much more to my taste than the classic monogram pieces. They look much more current and elegant but don’t get your hopes up. Good Coach knockoffs are difficult to find in general and the new ones even more.

There is a lot of information on real vs fake Coach online but some of the authentication tips either no longer apply or are wrong. So here are some real vs fake Coach authentication tips you should look out for.

Real vs Fake Coach: Myths vs Facts

The CC patterns should always align throughout the bag

Coach CC Canvas

Every real vs fake Coach guide will mention the CC canvas pattern. And that’s because it’s one of the easiest ways to spot a fake signature Coach handbag and also one of the most obvious. Most Coach knockoffs you will find online are made of this type of canvas, so it’s really important to know how to spot the fake. The C pattern should always contain two rows of vertical and two rows of horizontal Cs that are perfectly aligned to the center of the bag. The only exception are the really small signature C bags where the pattern might be slightly off on the sides. The authentic CC pattern will not break even if there are pockets and seams on the bag! Also, the edge of the horizontal “C” and that of its vertical “C” counterpart should touch. Just remember that the C monogram pattern should always be symmetric at the center of the bag, without exception.

YKK Zippers

Not All Coach Bags Should Have YKK Zippers!

Even though most Coach bags feature YKK zippers that are of very good quality, this doesn’t mean that an original Coach handbag cannot feature a different type of zipper. This includes older models and their smaller items. Coach has also used Talon zippers and IDEAL zippers in addition to YKK zippers and many other zippers suppliers so the fact that a Coach bag has or doesn’t have YKK zippers is not enough to tell a real vs fake Coach.

The serial number

Coach Serial Number Is No Longer On The Creed

This is also an outdated real vs fake Coach authentication tip in most of the guides you’ll find online. The serial number used to be embossed on the leather creed patch inside the bag but now it is sewn into the bag on a white fabric tag. But just like the old serial number, the current one should also start with N° followed by 2 numbers representing the year and 2 other digits. If the serial number has 5 digits, then it’s probably a fake. So just because the bag does not have the serial number on the creed doesn’t automatically mean it is a fake; on the contrary!

The new Coach bags are much subtler branding-wise and their designs have evolved a lot in my opinion. For example, all their pre-fall 2016 bags are made of gorgeous leather and most of them will only feature the signature horse and carriage logo on the hanging leather tag or the metallic logo on the exterior for their smaller items.

Coach 2016 Bags

As you can see, Coach bags are some of the most difficult to authenticate replica bags online. So every time you check out a real vs fake Coach post or video, you should also take into account the fact that many things have changed in the past years. So don’t authenticate your bag based on old information because some of the rules that applied 4 or 5 years ago do not apply anymore.

So forget about all the Cs and start paying more attention to their newer styles! Even though not all of them are particularly special or unique, they look much more elegant and luxurious than their older designs. But I’m sure it will take some time until we will find replicas of these Coach bags.